Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How likely is losing a Google account?

jefftk.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 305 posts

Re: How likely is losing a Google account?

#81

Post by fencepost »

This doesn't mention what I think is the most egregious example of Google account risk - viewers of Markiplier's YouTube live stream getting mass banned. That included access to Gmail accounts from some reporting at the time (https://gamerant.com/markiplier-stream-ban-lock-users-out-of...). Combine that with automoderation and you have a recipe for people with no recourse getting hammered. At least when Nick (Trainer Tips) got algorithmically terminated for talking about "CP" in Pokémon Go he was prominent enough to get attention, but what if it happened to some no-name with 100 subscribers? (https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/armac3/youtube_jus...)

And haven't there been cases where developers who'd had accounts banned in the past got hired somewhere and ended up with an employer dev account linked to the banned personal account and also locked? And of course there's the whole question of phones - banned from Google and the entire Android ecosystem? Not like Google can't figure it out if you create a new account with the same phone number and geolocation.

Re: How likely is losing a Google account?

#83

Post by 8ytecoder »

dylan604 wrote: post #35
guptaneil wrote: post #13

It's true that every service has to deal with the same policy and lockout problems, but that doesn't lead to the conclusion that the risk is the same. I pay for FastMail because 1. if something goes wrong, I can reach a human without needing to write a viral blog post first. Other services pay for a customer service department. 2. I trust FastMail more to not shut down their product because they got bored. Sure Gmail…

2) Why in the world would Gmail get shut down? The veins of treasure to be mined from within the user's emails are vast and endless. It is quite simply a mother lode. The only bigger source within their direct control is the search input screen.

OP specifically mentioned Google Workspace for individuals - that's what I used to use so I can use my own domain and so "own" my email address. There's a good chance that gets shutdown. Google Workspace for large orgs or Gmail does not have the same risk.

Re: How likely is losing a Google account?

#84

Post by waynesonfire »

guptaneil wrote: post #13

It's true that every service has to deal with the same policy and lockout problems, but that doesn't lead to the conclusion that the risk is the same. I pay for FastMail because 1. if something goes wrong, I can reach a human without needing to write a viral blog post first. Other services pay for a customer service department. 2. I trust FastMail more to not shut down their product because they got bored. Sure Gmail…

The only time I've been locked out of e-mail is when my credit card company incorrectly labeled the payment to the provided as fraud and the so called company that you can call and reach a human to discuss issues with, was not very sympathetic to my case and I didn't have e-mail access for 4-5 days until the issue was resolved.

Just an interesting data point. It wasn't my intention to label the payment that way. It is what it is, but, just as OP seems to be believe, I would expected the issue to be resolved faster. Though, perhaps if I were to receive a "fraud" label on a non-paid account maybe I would be blocked to this day.

Re: How likely is losing a Google account?

#85

Post by jb1991 »

I was once (not long ago) locked out of a Gmail account until I used a VPN to login from the last country I lived and had used the account, then it promptly let me in. But otherwise there was nothing at all I could do to login, as it claimed it wasn't sure I was who I am. Considering how often people move between countries, this surprised me.

Re: How likely is losing a Google account?

#86

Post by [deleted] »

jeffbee wrote: post #27

I am amused by the way HN collectively expresses contradictory opinions on this topic. When presented as getting locked out of Google, a vanishingly small probability of losing access to your account, sometimes only temporarily and often through the fault of the user, is a crime against humanity. When framed as American-style "voter ID", a 15% false positive rate is just the natural price of ballot security. Maybe th…

[deleted]

Re: How likely is losing a Google account?

#87

Post by godshatter »

jeffbee wrote: post #29
guptaneil wrote: post #13

It's true that every service has to deal with the same policy and lockout problems, but that doesn't lead to the conclusion that the risk is the same. I pay for FastMail because 1. if something goes wrong, I can reach a human without needing to write a viral blog post first. Other services pay for a customer service department. 2. I trust FastMail more to not shut down their product because they got bored. Sure Gmail…

"I can reach a human" is a huge security vuln. I don't want people social engineering my identity provider.

I'm not sure that "better scream loudly on social media" is any better of a solution.

Re: How likely is losing a Google account?

#88

Post by 411111111111111 »

gary_0 wrote: post #69
guptaneil wrote: post #13

It's true that every service has to deal with the same policy and lockout problems, but that doesn't lead to the conclusion that the risk is the same. I pay for FastMail because 1. if something goes wrong, I can reach a human without needing to write a viral blog post first. Other services pay for a customer service department. 2. I trust FastMail more to not shut down their product because they got bored. Sure Gmail…

Any company with a business model that takes your money and gives you service is inherently more secure than one that sells your eyeballs to advertisers in exchange for giving you free stuff. The former companies have a direct incentive to keep giving you service as part of their core business. The latter are really only paying attention to the money they get from advertisers.

This comment is so ironic considering that Apple has just lost their lawsuit in the EU for doing exactly the same.

Wherever you paid for the product seems to have little impact, the reality is that all tech giants carelessly invade your privacy with no recourse for the user.

Re: How likely is losing a Google account?

#89

Post by NovemberWhiskey »

jeffbee wrote: post #29
guptaneil wrote: post #13

It's true that every service has to deal with the same policy and lockout problems, but that doesn't lead to the conclusion that the risk is the same. I pay for FastMail because 1. if something goes wrong, I can reach a human without needing to write a viral blog post first. Other services pay for a customer service department. 2. I trust FastMail more to not shut down their product because they got bored. Sure Gmail…

"I can reach a human" is a huge security vuln. I don't want people social engineering my identity provider.

>I don't want people social engineering my identity provider.

How do you balance that risk vs the risk of losing control of your identity altogether due to a technology control malfunction etc. though?

Re: How likely is losing a Google account?

#90

Post by unity1001 »

NelsonMinar wrote: post #24

Chargebacks can get your Google account locked. If you have a dispute with Google and protect yourself by reversing a credit card charge, Google might lock you entirely out of your account. The Google Pixel subreddit has a bunch of people's stories about that: https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/search/?q=chargeback Not sure if this counts as "policy reason" for the article's purposes; he sort of dismisses payment d…

> My takeaway was that if I was ever in a dispute over a couple of hundred bucks for Google, I would not risk a chargeback for fear of retaliation

And my takeaway is that it is high time that these corporations that hold people's livelihoods in their hands got regulated like public utilities...

Post reply on HN